Reading Process Assessment Service
Reading is a complex process that involves accessing and integrating semantic, syntactic, and graphophonic information to make sense of print. These sources of information are available to all readers in authentic reading contexts. Assessing readers as they read meaningful texts provides an in-depth picture of reading strengths, as well as areas where readers may need more support.
Goals of the Service
The main goals of the researchers who provide this service are to:
- Identify the sources of information readers access, and the extent to which they are integrating them efficiently, to make sense of print
- Revalue readers who have developed negative self-perceptions around reading and/or themselves as readers
- Provide instructional recommendations for families
Who Should Apply
The service is intended for readers in grades 2-12 who find reading difficult.
Session 1 – Assessing the Reading Process (60-90 minutes)
In Session 1, the student being assessed will work with a reading researcher for approximately 60-90 minutes. During this time, the researcher will conduct a reading interview to access the student’s perspectives about reading and self as a reader. Next, the student will read and retell 2-3 whole texts which will be preselected by the researcher based on information from the Reading Process Assessment Service application and/or a parent interview. Last, the researcher will select 3-5 oral miscues to discuss with the reader in a post-reading interview. The session will be audio and/or video recorded for analysis purposes.
Session 2 – Findings and Recommendations (30-40 minutes)
In Session 2, which will be scheduled after Session 1, the researcher will share and interpret data from the assessment session, discuss the student’s reading strengths and needs, provide instructional recommendations, and answer questions. Parents will leave Session 2 with a written report of findings that may be shared with classroom teachers, reading interventionists, and other school personnel at the parents’ discretion.
Schedule an Assessment Session
If you are interested in scheduling an assessment session, please complete the Reading Process Assessment Service application. The standard fee is $75.00. If you have questions, please contact the Mary and Jean Borg Center for Reading and Literacy at literacycenter@ilstu.edu or (309) 438-3836.